Public Bus Transportation Manners

We have all ridden a bus at some point in our lives. Maybe it was the school bus or an airport shuttle bus but either way its hard to avoid not taking a public bus at some point in your life.

Some of us unlucky few, like myself, take and depend on the bus everyday to get to and from work and other activities like running errands, visiting family & friends, etc.

For some reason, when it comes to anything public, people sure do act stupid. I mean lets face it, people in general are stupid and a lot of stupidity in this country especially.

The public bus is no exception. People will do and say the stupidest things when riding on the bus and generally this makes what should be a pleasant ride just unbearable for the rest of us who actually use our brain cells.

But even these idiots can follow my simple rules for good bus manners and make the trip better for everyone on board.

Get your money together

Nothing is more annoying then when the bus stops to let people on and there is always the one fool who has a $20 or starts fishing around for that one nickel that they don't find for ten minutes. The bus is standing there at a standstill all because you can't get yourself together. If you know that you are taking the bus (and I am assuming it wasn't a spur of the moment decision as that would be silly) then have your bus payment READY when you board. It's not that difficult.

Even if you don't know how much the bus costs, you can estimate its probably only a dollar and change or a couple of dollars at the most. Usually a $5 will suffice. Do not break out anything larger. Seriously, plan AHEAD!

And if you take the bus frequently, then get a monthly or weekly bus pass. Not only will it save you time but it will also save you money. Plus, you won't get a dozen pair of dirty eyes when you take up 10 minutes at the stop looking for change and make everybody else late to wherever they have to be.

If, for whatever reason, you just can't find your money or it fell into a hole in your purse, then just tell the bus driver nicely that you are going to sit down and look for it. Then go ahead, sit, look for it and at the next available stop, get up and give it to him. This will be the much more polite approach than wasting everyone's time.

Without these you cannot listen to music anywhere public | Source

Listening to music

Did you hear about this amazing invention called earphones? Yes, they allow you to listen to music so only you can hear it without bothering anyone else.

Well, if you are riding on a bus then you better have a pair. Otherwise guess that new mp3 you downloaded and that funny Youtube video your cousin sent you will have to wait till you get off the bus. Because I don't want to hear it. Yes, you might have the new coolest phone that lets you watch tv and play movies. But this isn't your house. No earphones, no dice.

And by the way, invest in decent quality earphones or turn down the volume. Because if you are wearing earphones and I can still sing along to the lyrics of the song you are downloading as well as half the bus then not only are your earphones crap but you are also going to slowly go deaf.

Source

Talking on your cell phone

Mobile phones are a great invention. If you are running late or get stuck somewhere then they can save you. Smartphones now can even help you if you are lost or need to look something up.

However, that does not mean that you need to yack it up with your best gal pal for the next 45 minutes while I am sitting at the bus next to you rolling my eyes. If you are calling your boss to say there is a traffic jam and you are running late, that's fine. Quick conversations for just a couple of minutes is perfectly acceptable.

But chatting non-stop like if you were sitting at home in your kitchen is not cool. Even if you do it super quietly, a few people can still hear you. And we all hate you and want to strangle you. Plus, you might not have any shame to discuss that rash or your one night stand but the rest of us don't want to hear about it. So save it till you get off at your stop. Plenty of time to yack it up later.

Are you bored? Is that why you talk on the phone, boring bus ride and need a distraction? Listen to music or read a book. SILENTLY!

Is this your stop?

I understand that you might be lost and not realize where you are going. But in today's world you really can only blame yourself. Mobile phones, computers, internet, Google, hello! All tools there to help you plan your trip ahead of time. That way you are not requesting a stop when it isn't your stop.

You will feel like the smallest being on earth when you hit the bell for a stop, realize its not your stop, watch nobody get up and have everyone stare you down for making the bus stop somewhere it wasn't meant to.

So avoid all that and plan your trip ahead of time. Another good tip? Tell the bus driver where you are headed when you first climb on board. Most are nice enough to shout out when they get to your stop.

Your bags did not pay

You might have just come from a month long trip to India. I really don't care. Did you pay extra for your bags to have a seat? If you did, then I apologize.

But chances are you didn't. And if the bus is mostly empty then heck take up all the room you want and enjoy yourself.

If the bus is jam packed and there are few seats left, then why are you rolling your eyes when I come and take my seat where your bags are? I paid for that seat and your bags didn't. Your bags can be thrown on the floor. I am a human being that deserves a seat.

Giving up your seat

See that poor old lady that just got on? You really want to be such a worthless, lazy person as to sit there as you watch her struggle to hang on to the bars while standing? Wow, you are going straight to hell.

Or that pregnant woman. She is carrying another person. She looks exhausted. But its your seat damn it, you paid, right?

WRONG! Do a nice thing for once in your life and give up the seat. And if you are a man, you better not even think twice about it.

Kids as well as anyone who is disabled also count. Let poor mom sit with her little tikes or at least let junior sit even if his mom has to stand.

Comments

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

AUTHOR

Veronica

7 years agofrom New York

Thanks cybersister! Unfortunately, it's a reflection of our society today where people just have no manners and very little consideration.

your cybersister

7 years ago

I am fortunate not to ride a bus on a regular basis, but I have done so often enough that I feel your pain. I believe these rude riders are everywhere. I think that they are most likely the same people who aren't prepared in the grocery store line, or in line at the bank, or in line at the fast food restaurants. These people are just generally rude and ill-mannered and don't have any consideration for other people at all. And I think that their population is growing by leaps and bounds. It is a sad commentary on our society.

Hopefully your hub will help reform some people who just "didn't think" - I do believe there are a few who may just be oblivious, not rotten.

AUTHOR

Veronica

7 years agofrom New York

Ashantina you are so lucky you are getting a car, I so need one! Though I think it would only replace my bus rage with road rage lol, thanks for commenting!

Ashantina

7 years ago

My main loathe is the kids who get on the bus (for FREE) and blast their music from their mobile phones - real Loud!

Other loathe, as Lesleysherwood mentioned, is when people have the nerve to put their filthy feet on seats!!! Ugh! Cant stand it!

I will have a car before the end of the year :)

AUTHOR

Veronica

7 years agofrom New York

Thanks for commenting Lesley! Yes, manners in today's world seem to be in short supply especially on public transportation. Honestly, sometimes I feel that I really need to invest in a car because riding the buses and trains brings out the angry rage in me and stresses me out with all the stupidity!

Lesleysherwood

7 years ago

Brilliant hub. I get sooooo irritated on buses and other forms of public transport. So many people with so little manners. One of my pet hates is when people put their dirty feet on seats. Especially when you have to sit there in nice clothes for work. People just don't seem to care nowdays.

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)